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Sir, yes, sir: BlackBerry 7 smartphones get DoD approval

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Listen up, maggots. Fresh off all the recent hoopla surrounding BlackBerry 10, Research In Motion announced that the U.S. Department of Defense has approved the use of six BlackBerry models on its networks. The smartphones receiving the green light are the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930, BlackBerry Torch 9810, 9850 and 9860, and BlackBerry Curve 9360. RIM added that DoD and Army personnel will be able to use several capabilities added by the military for its BlackBerry users last year, including universal search, near field communications, augmented reality and the potential land mine that is Social Feeds 2.0 (whaddya mean that was classified?). No word on whether a certain BlackBerry user-in-chief will be getting an upgraded version of his device as well. For more details, feel free to march into the PR after the break.

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RIM Announces Approval of BlackBerry 7 Smartphones for U.S. Department of Defense Networks

DISA Mission Partner Conference, Tampa, FL - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced DoD-wide approval for the use of BlackBerry® 7 smartphones. Working with U.S. Army and Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) sponsors and partners, BlackBerry 7 smartphones have undergone successful testing through Army labs leading to a subsequent listing on DISA's Unified Communications Approved Product List (UCAPL).

The approval allows all DoD customers to use the following BlackBerry 7 smartphones on DoD networks:

"The Army introduced a wide range of new apps and capabilities for their BlackBerry users last year, and these new BlackBerry 7 smartphones will now enable Army users, and all DoD users, to experience an even greater level of performance on new smartphones that include features such as voice activated universal search, Near Field Communications, Augmented Reality, and Social Feeds 2.0 just to name a few," said Scott Totzke, SVP, BlackBerry Security Group at RIM. "RIM's unwavering focus on security and RIM's achievement of key security certifications including FIPS 140-2 validation and Common Criteria EAL4+ accreditation continue to be very important to many of our DoD and enterprise customers, but leveraging the full power of BlackBerry smartphones is also important as it helps them realize the full potential of their investment in the BlackBerry platform."

For more information about BlackBerry 7 smartphones and features, please visit: www.blackberry.com/bb7.

About Research In Motion

Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

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